WE ARE NOT A GANGSTER COUNTRY - Real News. Scrolla.Africa

Friday 5th February
                                     2021, 0145

Real News. Scrolla.Africa

WE ARE NOT A GANGSTER COUNTRY
Editorial

Donald Trump and Jacob Zuma have a lot in common.

They are prepared to burn down democracy to keep
themselves out of jail.

Donald Trump has undermined the elections he lost by claiming
- with wild lies - that they were rigged against him.

Zuma, together with ANC secretary general Ace Magashule, this
week followed the Trump playbook.

Zuma is being asked to answer shocking charges of corruption
involving him personally that have been aired at the Zondo
commission.

He's willing to say "stuff you" to the country’s highest court, the
Constitutional Court, to prevent having to explain himself to the
people of South Africa.

The two paths ahead for South Africa have become clear - as
clear as the splits in the ANC. On the one side Zuma, Magashule
and probably Economic Freedom Fighters commander-in-chief
Julius Malema. All with their backs to the wall; all facing
investigation; and all willing to sacrifice the country to protect
themselves.

On the other, the rest of the ANC led by Cyril Ramaphosa,
democrats in other parties, civil society, and - as polls suggest -
most of the rest of the country.

The choice is a gangster state, or a state where the rule of law,
and governing for the best interests of the people, still matters.

The problem with Zuma’s defence is that it is not Ramaphosa’s
money that was stolen.

It is the money of the people of South Africa, especially our
children. It is they who have been denied better schools and
hospitals and jobs. It is they who will be paying off the debt
incurred by Zuma’s cronies for generations to come.

If he has a reasonable explanation why is he afraid to go and
present his side of the story at the Zondo Commission?

Instead of answering that question, Zuma is going to have tea in
Nkandla with Malema, who is also keen to join this coalition of
the corrupt.

We know the playbook and we have already seen glimpses of
what is coming.

Zuma and his comrades will stop at nothing to save their skins.
They will liken their opponents to apartheid monsters; they will
claim that they are victims of a big conspiracy; and they will lie
at every turn.

Their agenda is nothing less than to destroy the rule of law,
without which we will be a country of gangsters.

Malema is not welcome in Nkandla say
locals
Lungani Zungu

            Describing it as “in the best interest of the
            nation,” EFF leader Julius Malema has revealed
            that he would meet former president Jacob
Zuma in Nkandla for tea.

“It could happen this weekend,” he said on Twitter on
Wednesday.

But Nkandla locals still hold a grudge against him.

Resident Sibongile Hadebe accused Malema of leading the
onslaught against Zuma which resulted in his fall on Valentine’s
Day 2018.

“I’m sorry I can’t forgive Malema for what he did to Mkhulu. He
is not welcome here in Nkandla.”

When told that Zuma had already agreed to meet Malema, she
said: “I don’t care, but he is not welcome here.”

Sicelo Ndlela said: “Malema made a mockery of Zuma in
Parliament. What he did is unforgivable. I will never celebrate
him coming here to Nkandla.”

Zuma’s brother Khanya said as long as Malema was there to
apologise he welcomed the visit.

“The two are old friends so if they want to fix their relationship
then let them be,” he said.

The last time Malema set foot in Nkandla was ahead of the
2014 elections when he was there to hand over a house to
Zuma’s neighbour, Sthandiwe Hlongwane, but things got messy
when EFF supporters clashed with Zuma’s backers.

Malema, once a great supporter of Zuma, once vowed to take
up arms and kill for Zuma, but their relationship soured in 2012
when Malema was expelled from the ruling party.

Malema’s time for revenge came in 2014 when the EFF won 25
parliamentary seats in the elections.

The two allies-turned-foes are yet to share more details about
this weekend's meeting.

Picture source: @AdvoBarryRoux

Former MP tells Zondo that ANC put
Zuma ahead of country
Lungani Zungu

Outspoken former ANC MP Makhosi Khoza told
the State Capture Commission of Inquiry
yesterday that the ruling party put ex-president
Jacob Zuma’s interests ahead of the country.

“Our party leaders were hell-bent on protecting former
president Jacob Zuma at all cost,” said Khoza.

She said the ruling party bigwigs, including the then secretary-
general Gwede Mantashe threatened internal Zuma detractors,
including her, of harsh consequences if they continued calling
for Zuma to step down.

She said, unlike other ANC MPs, she was unshaken.

“The challenge that you had was people who were not
members coming in to instruct us to violate the Constitution,”
she said.

Khoza said she was targeted by Zuma’s “praise-singers” for
openly standing up against him.

Afterwards, she said she started receiving death threats.

Khoza said one evening when she arrived home she saw a man
who had parked a black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows at
her neighbour's driveway.

“That man was wearing a black leather jacket and a balaclava
and pointed a gun at me.”

She told Zondo that she believed the man was sent to kill her.

For not toeing the party line, Khoza was called to a disciplinary
hearing by the KZN ANC leadership, the province that deployed
her to Parliament.

“Many people told me to apologise for standing up against
Zuma, and I said ‘no’ I can’t do that.”

She subsequently left the ANC, a party she became part of at
the age of 12.

Khoza is now the KZN provincial leader of Herman Mashaba’s
newly-formed ActionSA.

Meanwhile, the commission’s chairperson Deputy Chief Justice
Raymond Zondo has requested a three-month extension to
conclude his work.

Initially, the commission was expected to wrap up its work at
the end of March.

Image Source: Commission of Enquiry into State Capture

Another President, another subpoena
Fact Check

Allies of Jacob Zuma have had to dig deep to make their case
after the former president defied the Constitutional Court
order by failing to turn up at the Zondo commission.

One argument which is being made on social media is: what’s
all the fuss about Zuma when nothing happened to PW Botha
after he refused to turn up at the Truth Commission?

In fact, PW Botha was brought to book.

In 1998, the George Regional Court found Botha guilty of
ignoring a Truth and Reconciliation Commission subpoena.

He was sentenced to a fine of R10,000 or 12 months in jail -
with another 12 months suspended.

Zakes Mda tweeted: "PW Botha is our benchmark because we
long stopped occupying the moral high ground and have sunk
to his level. We don’t even remember that Nelson Mandela
responded to a summons and appeared in court, not as ex-

president but as a sitting president. That should be our
benchmark."

Photo source: Facebook

How to keep fit in a coup
Arthur Greene

                A Myanmar exercise instructor accidentally
                recorded her workout in front of a military coup,
                in an extraordinary video which has gone viral on
social media.

In the background of the video, black SUVs are seen driving up
to a military checkpoint while the instructor, Khing Hnin Wai,
enthusiastically leads a workout.

The convoy of cars even grows as the song builds in tempo, and
the dancer begins to make small punching motions.

Then, as she moves energetically from side to side, small figures
can be seen rushing to open the barricade and let the cars
through.

Khing Hnin Wai later wrote on social media, “How harmonic
with the background music and background scenery!

“Before I heard the news [of the coup] in the morning, the
video I made for the aerobic dance competition has become an
unforgettable memory.”

She also confirmed in a post that the video was real and that
she had no idea what was taking place behind her.

In the raids, which took place on Monday morning, Myanmar’s
military detained the country’s State Councillor, Aung San Suu
Kyi, and took power.

Pitso's Al Ahly in the Semi Final
Menzi Magubane

Pitso Mosimane's Al Ahly will face European
champions Bayern Munich in the semi-final of
the FIFA club world cup. The Egyptian giants beat
Qatari outfit Al-Duhail 1-0 on Wednesday to book their place in
the semis.

Their next opponents are Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich
who humiliated Spanish giants Barcelona 8-2 in the semi-finals.
Bayern booked their way to the club world cup by beating Paris
Saint Germain 1-0 in the final of UEFA Champions League last
year.

This would be Mosimane's second club world cup appearance
as a coach. His first was with Mamelodi Sundowns in 2016 and
made him the only South African coach in history to be in this
tournament.

Al Ahly wound up appearing in this competition for the 10th
time and this won't be the first time facing the German's.

"We already know Al Ahly. They’re the African Champions
League winners, so it wouldn’t be an easy game at all," Bayern's
captain and the goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said in the FIFA
media.

"The same was true in 2013. It's not very easy to play against
sides you don't know very well."

There has been an African team that has won the club world
cup let alone being in the final. Should Mosimane did the

unthinkable and beat the European champions and go through
to the final he will write his name in the tournament's history
books.

This match will be held at Al Rayyan Stadium in Qatar on
Monday at 8pm.

Picture source: @Shakesrampedi

MTV pulls plug on Music Awards show
in Uganda
Arthur Greene

                MTV Base Africa have decided to postpone the
                2021 Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) which were
                scheduled to take place in Uganda’s capital,
Kampala.

The ceremony, which showcases the best in African music, was
going to be held as a virtual event hosted by world-famous DJ
Khaled on 20th February.

The prestigious MAMAs were first held in 2008, and last held in
Johannesburg in 2016.

But just a week after its announcement, this year’s show was
cancelled amid growing protests from activists who charged
that the event would bolster the image of Uganda’s
government.

The government, led by President Yoweri Museveni, has been
accused by protesters of “image laundering” in the aftermath
of the country’s recent election.

While Museveni officially won the election on 14th January, he
was accused by the opposition leader Bobi Wine of rigging the
results and violently pressuring voters.

MTV has been accused by protesters of ignoring the apparent
violence and oppression of Museveni’s regime.

Wine and his wife Barbie have been under house arrest for
eleven days, for having dared to challenge the long-ruling
dictator.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Wine said he
was happy with MTV Base Africa’s decision to postpone the
event.

Writing in an article for OkayAfrica, Ugandan journalist Dr
Vincent Magombe asked “How can MTV and Viacom
executives, who claim to be supportive of Black Lives Matter,
now look the other way when those lives are African?”

Picture source: @882SanyuFM

Brilliant flies high
Everson Luhanga

In 2016, Brilliant Nkuna was involved in a life-
threatening accident, but he never lost sight of
his dream.

Today he is what he wanted to be. A pilot.

Brilliant said it was a tough journey.

“I grew up in a village where opportunities were very limited. I
had a huge passion for flying and aeroplanes but I had no idea
how I would get into the industry. But I knew I wanted to be a
pilot,” he said.

But then came the car crash.

“I hit a pothole with my car. The vehicle rolled several times,”
he said.

“I suffered many fractures throughout my body and there was
little hope that I would survive. To this day, I call myself the
miracle man who escaped death.”

Brilliant survived and so did his dream.

“I saw a newspaper advertisement from a company looking for
aircraft engineers and I applied,” he said.

“They took me on and while I was studying aircraft engineering.
There was an opportunity for me to study as a pilot and I took
both opportunities,” he said.

After completing the aircraft engineering course in Port
Elizabeth, Brilliant came to Johannesburg to pursue his dream
at Lanseria of becoming a pilot.

His proud moment came in August last year when he did his
first solo flight and gained his wings.

“My family was there watching me. That was the moment my
dream came true,” he said.

“I should complete my commercial licence in December which
will enable me to fly passengers or goods.”

Brilliant said his background and other challenges didn’t define
what he wanted in life.

“Anyone can be what they want to be if they dream big,” he
said.

Young sangomas go digital
Everson Luhanga

               How do sangomas cope with the influx of people
               coming to them seeking help? Well, meet the
               digital sangomas who will throw bones and heal
patients via the internet!

Scrolla.Africa spoke to two young sangomas who are calling
upon other healers to go digital.

Most sangomas say unemployment caused by Covid-19 has led
to a big increase in people needing help because of stress and
anxiety.

Sangoma Tinyiko Mtsenga says that in the past year many
people have lost their jobs, families have broken up and people
have lost assets like cars and houses.

“With the mounting pressure to provide for their families,
parents suffer from depression,” she says.

“They are seeking different kinds of help and many believe
sangomas are their answer.”

Mtsenga, known by her ancestral name as Mahlasela Tinyiko,
has urged sangomas to consult with their clients online and
help them digitally.

“We are living in a world where everything is going digital. It is
only fair that we, as sangomas, also change the way our
ancestors did things.

She says there are two ways to help patients:

•    through WhatsApp video call and
•    by picture reading.

“With WhatsApp video calling, a patient can engage with the
healer and agree or disagree and get help by the end of the
consultation,” she says.

She says picture reading is more tricky as there was no direct
communication between patient and sangoma while the
sangoma rolled the bones.

“We rely solely on the bones to lead us,” Mtsenga says.

Sangoma Dipou Chauke, known as Sangoma Mahambanomoya,
said as much as they encourage people to get used to going
digital, she still believes in physical interaction with clients.

She prefers having clients in the indumba as the candle light
relieves stress and depression and the burning of impepho
helps clear blocked breathing passages to those inhaling the
smoke.

“But it is so scary to have people in your indumba for
consultation,” she says.

“With Covid-19 you can’t have people you don’t know coming
in and out of your yard without proper medical check-ups.”

Whether people prefer one to one or not, modern sangomas
have gone digital!

Mr Hit Daliwonga will take you to the
moon and back
Sizwe Sibiya

Since its inception as a music genre , Amapiano has brought
with it much fresh talent like ‘Mr Hit’ himself Daliwonga.

Daliwonga - full name Daliwonga Matiwane - has been
dropping hit after hit since 2019 under Maphorisa’s Blaqboy
Records. He has collaborated with acts like Kabza De Small, Sha
Sha and even the King Monada himself on a song called ‘Tester’
last year – which is still doing the rounds on commercial radio
stations.

Born in Diepkloof, Soweto, Daliwonga will take you to the
moon and back with a soft but very present voice much like
Samthing Soweto.

The artist, who is also a poet, rides Amapiano instruments with
clever lyrics that tell a tale - when not complaining about
something, like in his latest release Moya with Aymos who is
another promising act in Maphorisa’s stable.

In the Moya which has reached over 200,000 views in just one
month on YouTube, he says people are expecting so much from
him that he can’t even catch a breath.

After his album ‘Chameleon’ which was released last year did
very well for an upcoming artist we can comfortably put
Daliwonga’s name on the list of artists to look out for in 2021.

Picture source: @DaliWongaSA

Video source: @YouTube

Scant prospect of wickets as pitch goes
flat
Lucky Mdluli

Says commentator, Mike Haysman: “I’ve noticed that the South
Africans are very quiet out there.”

Very observant, Mike. While the (virtual) spectators have to
feel sorry for the South African team toiling away on the first
day of play of the second test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi,

there is no doubt that they have settled down to face a hard
day – much like a patient at the back of the queue at a dental
clinic.

But the Proteas are not at the dentist, although looking at
Quinton de Kock’s face behind the stumps, you’d be forgiven
for wondering if he knows the difference.

At the start of play this morning, things kicked off well for the
Proteas. With quickie, Anrich Nortje taking a wicket and
(remarkably) spinner Keshav Maharaj taking two wickets and
things were looking good for the Proteas with Pakistan at 22 for
3 after 15 overs.

But then captain Bahar Azam and Fawad Alam took charge and
started dominating – and by tea the South Africans had
adopted their “we’ll just sit it out” position, prompting
commentator Haysman’s comment.

But, to be fair, you don’t want to be a fielder against this pitch.
It started off quite lively, but long before tea on the first day, it
was as flat as only a sub-continent pitch could be.

But then came the rain and the pitch was declared unplayable
with the score on 145 for 3. Play has been called off for the day
with Azam on 77 and Alam on 42.

Picture source: @Gulbaha95758689